


Forever and Always

by CollieWolf



Category: MCU, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: I am aware I already have a ThorBruce fic hush, M/M, The Hulk is Bruces therapy dog, This is also a high school au be prepared
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-08-26 06:57:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16676785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CollieWolf/pseuds/CollieWolf
Summary: He doesn't remember much about that day. All he really recalls is the pain in his leg and his fathers crazed face. He was lucky to have a friend in the Odinson's, a family who lived across from him who, somehow, could move when Bruce had gotten adopted and had moved to New York.





	1. Therapy sessions

"I really can't think of much, I think I've repressed it too much to really want to think about it." Bruce said, glancing up at his therapist.

"Well, try it, let's see how much you can think of." She said, looking at Bruce with those kind eyes.

"I remember how much it hurt. It went through the front of my leg, right underneath my kneecap. I remember going to school in the morning, really excited. I don't... I..." He paused, looking up once again. "I remember seeing my mom, just, laying there. It smelled like iron. Then I saw my dad, he looked like he was going to murder me. I guess he tried too but, it was so... loud. My ears where ringing for the next few days. I can't really recall much more than that."

Bruce walked out of the clinic about an hour after that conversation with his therapist, every week he remembered a little more of the night his father had killed his mother, and the night he had gotten shot in the leg. Bruce's dad had always been abusive but... neither him, nor his mom had thought he would snap like that. Bruce took a deep breath of fresh air, scolding himself for thinking about it outside of therapy. He grabbed his helmet, hopped on his moped, and took off down the street at a careful but fast speed.

Bruce had moved to New York two years after the incident. while he lived back in his old town, he had never gotten help for the trauma he had faced on that day. He wondered if he could ever really recover from it. He guessed not, but as his best friend constantly told him, "there's always hope."

As the tiny scooter made it's way down the winding roads, Bruce had plenty time to think. He was going over to said best friends house after he got to his home, but after that, he didn't know what he would do. He guessed he would stay until Aunt May finished making dinner, then he would take a short shower, brush his teeth, and go to bed. He had already packed for the next day of school before he left, as he hadn't needed to do any homework. (He'd done it all at school.)

The time rushed by as fast as the streets did and soon, Bruce found himself at the small house he and his adoptive family called home.

Bruce parked next to Ben's car, closing the garage door as he entered his house.

"I'm home! He said, limping into the room.

"Hi Bruce!" Peter called from the couch where he slouched over a piece of paper.

"Biology or math?" Bruce walked over to the couch and leaned over, glancing at the paper.

"Biology, you know I'm good at math."

Bruce laughed and ruffled his younger brothers hair. 

"I know, I know, I was just being mean, Pete. Do you want help?"

"No, my teacher says I should try working it out myself before I ask you."

"Alright, kid. Hey uhm... is Aunt May home? Or Uncle Ben? I'm going to the Odinsons, I just want them to know where I am." He said, looking up at the stairs like the two would magically appear just because he had said their names.

"Yeah, Uncle Ben's upstairs, Aunt May's on her way home." Peter smiled as Bruce quickly thanked him and made his way up the stairs.

"Ben?" Bruce called out to the quiet upstairs.

"In my room, kid!" He heard the elder call out. Bruce walked into the room, seeing his uncle sitting on a rocking chair reading a book. The blinds were open, showing a nice view of the street below. Ben was an older gentleman, his graying hair only amplifying his kind face. Ben looked up and smiled at Bruce as he cracked open the door.

"How was therapy today, kiddo?" Ben asked, smiling softly at the young teen.

"It was okay." He replied, looking down at his feet.

"Just okay?"

"I had to talk about the day my mom died, and you know how much I hate talking about that."

"Oh, alright." Ben said, a grin spreading across his face. "What did you need from me?" The older man said "normally you don't talk to us one on one unless you need something.

"I just wanted to tell you I was going over to the Odinsons."

"Alright, come back before 8, it's a school night." Ben said, looking up and smiling.

Bruce had made his way down the street, walking slightly hindered by his leg. When Bruce's mother had died, Bruce's father had shot him right below the knee cap. Bruce would probably never fully recover, he had waited too long to go to physical therapy and he had limped for ages.

It took about 10 minutes to reach the house, a fancy medieval looking thing. The walls were made of various sizes of stone, wood pillars holding up the over hanging roof. It was a smaller house, one story on top of the ground and one underneath. The porch was also rather small, just underneath the dark oak door. Bruce held up his hand, hesitating for a second before knocking lightly on it.

It took about 30 seconds for the wonderful Frigga Odinson to open the door, smiling.

"Bruce! Come in, come in!" She said, waving her hand. "And I've told you, you don't need to knock, you practically live here."

"I know, I know,  I just don't want to feel like I'm intruding, what if I come in at a bad time? I just uhm, I just worry."

Frigga smiled, patting Bruce on the back and rubbing softly. Bruce smiled, glancing up.

"You're always welcomed here, my child."

Frigga had often had a habit of calling him her son, her child. After all the time they had spent in the same house, Bruce had felt like the Odinsons where his family, too.

"Is uhm... is Thor here?" Bruce asked, glancing in the direction of the blondes room.

"Like always, Loki is here too, if you need to talk to him."

"Thank you, Mo- Frigga." He smiled, choking on his words before walking quickly towards the room of his closest friend. He could almost hear a soft sigh from the direction of the woman who had always cared for him.

Bruce knocked on Thor's door quickly, before saying "Are you decent?"

"Hang on, let me put on pants!"

"Why do you never have on pants when I come over?"

"Because I am a teenage boy, I like having my pants off!"

Bruce snorted, a soft sound that Bruce didn't really like. He heard Thor laugh on the other side of the door, a hearty booming noise.

The door opened, revealing the buff figure of the other teenager smiling down at Bruce.

Thor was tall, very tall for a 15 year old. He was about 6'11 already, a very muscular lad as he had played football for the longest time. He had shoulder length hair, dirty blond. He had slight stubble, and a strong jaw. His nose was slightly crooked, it had been broken when he was 10, long story short, a kid punched him in the face.

"Come in, come in, Brucey bear!"

"Alright, alright, thunder cat."

Bruce walked into the messy room of the one and only Thor, he hadn't bothered picking up the clothes scattered about the floor. The posters on the wall showing various comic book super heroes, his two favorite being the god of Thunder, Thor, who was his favorite, most likely because they shared their names, and the incredible Hulk, he also had a large poster with all of the the characters of the large universe.

His bed was a mess, his large blanket was falling off the mattress and the pillow was in the center of the fabrics. The sheets were wrinkled from Thor sleeping on them.

"I'm kind of guessing that you slept in until noon again."

"That is, true but offensive." Thor snorted.

"I guess I just know how to offend you."

They sat around watching tv and doing nothing for about an hour, the time passing by quickly and quietly.

"DR. ASSHAT WHERE DID YOU PUT MY COAT."

"Loki, watch your language!" They all heard Frigga say sternly.

"Sorry mum!" Loki replied.

"Yeah, Dr. Asshat, where did you put his coat?" Bruce laughed.

"You watch your mouth too, Bruce!"

"Sorry!"

Thor sighed, hanging his head.

"I put it in the closet, I already told you!" Thor said.

"Well it's not there." Loki said, peeking his head into the room.

"Hey, Bruce."

"Hey, Loki."

Loki was thinner than both of the others in the room. He was younger than the others, too. His longer hair wasn't quite as long as Thor's, it fell to about the middle of his neck, it was always slightly greasy which annoyed his mom  _and_ Loki, himself.

His small frame filled up the crack in the door, he was dressed to go outside but without any sort of jacket or coat. Bruce stood, walking over to the door and pulling it open.

"Let me check, I'm sure I can find it."

"Fine, go right ahead."

Bruce wandered over to the closet, opening it and digging for only a second.

"This is it, right?" Bruce said, pulling out the black coat and handing it to the younger kid.

Loki hung his head and grabbed the coat, mumbling a quick thank you before walking away. Bruce laughed loudly, the noise quickly turning into a soft chortle.

Bruce left only a little bit after the encounter with Loki, deciding that Aunt May had probably finished dinner by that point. Waving goodbye, Bruce slowly limped his way down the street, watching as the sun began to slowly set over the horizon. Bruce loved the sunset, it was his favorite time of day, the magentas, purples, and oranges almost bleeding into the blue of the sky.

Bruce stopped walking soon before he reached his house, watching as the sun finally dipped below the skyline, leaving nothing but the soft glow of the now purple sky. The soft glow of the sunset reflected on his face, reflecting in his brown eyes. A soft breeze began, causing the jacket he was wearing to flap softly in the wind. Bruce closed his eyes, silently wishing that that day would never end, that he would be able to stay right there and never have to worry about anything ever again.

He knew it wouldn't happen but he wished that he would just be able to live like nothing had ever happened, like his mom and dad where still alive and he was still living in his old house with his old friends and...

Bruce felt the soft sting of tears in his eyes, he rubbed at them, sniffing softly and turning away from the darkening sky, Bruce finished making his way to his house pausing at the door before pushing it open and entering it.

Every day is a new opportunity to feel better, a day to change your life forever, and Bruce knew that he would one day be able to feel better. Until then, he would strive to feel like he always wanted to feel.

Tomorrow was another day.

 


	2. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Peter head to school!

Aunt May kissed both of the boys on the forehead, making sure Peter was holding onto Bruce's backpack hard enough so he wouldn't fall of the moped.

"I love you both, have a good day at school!" She called as the garage door opened.

"Love you too, Aunt May." Bruce called back as the scooter turned on and began making it's way down the street in the direction of the local high school. Peter had skipped a few years of school, leaving the two boys to be in the same school. Bruce was in his second year, along with Thor and Loki. Loki and Thor weren't twins, like Peter, Loki had skipped some years of school.

"Alright Pete, this is your stop, I'm going to park up front near the teachers cars, there's not a lot of people parked there right now." Peter smiled, said okay and hopped off the moped, all but running up the steps to the front of the school, waving back at his older brother. Bruce waved back, waiting for the doors of the school to close before he found a place to park. 

The inside of the school was littered with various kids, as Bruce and Peter always made a point to show up extremely early so they would have the chance to relax, maybe read some library books in the library, or talk to teachers that they needed help with. Bruce had decided that that day he would go to the cafeteria and try to find someone he knew so he wouldn't just have teachers to talk too.

As Bruce wandered around the halls, slowly making his way to the lunch room, he spotted a few various kids that waved to him. Steve Rogers, or Captain as many people called him had yelled a quick "good morning!" as Bruce had passed. He didn't know Cap all that well, but had quickly smiled and waved, scurrying past him and an impatient looking Tony Stark.

Bruce had almost immediately noticed the large muscled back of his best friend. Quickly, he had made his way over, softly tapping the big blond on the back.

Thor had screamed, quickly turning around and almost slapping Bruce in the face. Luckily, Bruce had gotten used to Thor's old habit of smacking people and had quickly backed out of the way.

"Oh, my goodness I am so sorry Bruce, are you quite alright?" Thor yelped, looking at Bruce with wide eyes. He reached his hand out to touch the area he almost hit his friend. Bruce grabbed it before the other tapped his face and brought it down, smirking and staring into Thor's eyes. He held his hand for only a second before he dropped it, chuckling at the shenanigans of his friend.

Bruce jumped over the back of the table seat, getting into a sitting position beside Thor and smiling.

"Do you need help on your homework again, big guy?" Bruce joked.

"Yes, actually, can you?" Thor said, awkwardly smiling at his friend and pulling out a ringed binder.

"Okay, okay, fine. You owe me, though."

Bruce winked, laughing at the disgruntled face Thor had made at the other.

They sat and worked for almost 15 minutes before a loud yell of "Thor! Where are you, we're waiting!"

Bruce yelped at the sudden loud noise that was Tony Stark, he turned, glancing in the direction he had heard Tony yell, seeing the small group of people standing around.

"You should uhm, you should probably head over, they're waiting for you." Bruce said, looking at Thor. "Uhm... what are you doing?"

Thor had put his head down on the desk and made a soft hushing noise, holding his hand up to his lips. Bruce made a confused face.

"I'd rather just hang out with you, those guys are a lot to handle." Thor whispered, looking up at him and softly smiling.

"Yeah but, did you make plans with them?" Bruce said, smiling and cocking an eyebrow.

Thor waited, making a face before saying "MmmYeeaaah."

"There you are, soldier! We've been looking for you." Bruce glanced up, staring wide eyed at Cap. "Howdy, Bruce! Good to see you out socializing for once." He had said, smiling at Bruce. Bruce felt his shoulders go tense, and he felt himself freeze in place.

"Don't tease him, Cap. I've known Bruce for the longest time, we've basically known each other since the day we were born." Thor said, raising his head up and groaning.

"yeah, and your family moved with me here when I finally got adopt-"

Bruce stopped dead in his tracks, looking over at Cap, going pale.

"Wait, Bruce, you where adopted?"

"Uhm, I, I... I... Yeah..." 

Bruce hung his head and Thor patted him on the back. Bruce groaned, slamming his head on the table.

"Aw, Bruce it's okay!" Thor said, rubbing his shoulder, chuckling.

"Yeah, I actually think it's pretty cool,  I don't know many adopted people." Cap smiled at Bruce who was flushed at his sudden reveal.

"You should hang out with us, sometime, Bruce."

"Yes! You should, that would make my day sooo much better! Come on, pleeeeaseee?" Thor pleaded, puppy dog eyes in full blast.

"I don't know, Thor..."

"Oh come onnn, pretty please Brucey bear?" Bruce snorted, softly bapping Thor on the back of the head.

"Fine, thunder cat, I'll do it." Thor laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Meet us here after school! We're going to stay here and do stuff, Cap got us time, it's one of the only good things about hanging out with the school's vice president." He winked, looking over at Steve, grinning ear to ear.

"I could just have Fury stop letting us stay here after school." Steve cocked an eyebrow, grinning after a couple of seconds. "Come on, Tony's getting impatient."

"Oh, Steve why can you not control your boyfriend" Thor groaned.

"First of all, we're not dating, secondly, he's a free man he can do whatever he wants. You might like him Bruce, he's a straight A student. Like you are, right?"

Buce flushed, "Yeah, I am. I don't like telling people though, how did you know?" He asked, glancing up at Steve.

"I'd suggest asking Thor."

"Thor! Did you tell people I don't know about my grades  _again_?!" Bruce said, head turning in a split second to stare angrily at the older boy.

Thor laughed, Bruce sighed, and he could swear he could hear Cap chuckle.

"I'll meet you soon enough." He smiled, sliding off the bench to allow Thor to easily exit. He smiled, grabbing the papers he had been working on with the blond and gently replaced them in the leather backpack and handed it to Thor who had patiently waited for Bruce to zip it up.

"Have a good day, Thor, Captain." He nodded and headed off on his own in the direction of his first class.

 

After school, Bruce had sat down at the table he had that morning, glancing up every few seconds, at one point he could have sworn he saw the backpack of his younger brother, but it was gone a second later. It took about 3 minutes before he spotted Thor who was looking in various directions, waiting for something. Bruce raised his hand, waving it quickly, catching the blonds attention.

"Bruce! Come on, come on, come on!" He yelled, waving his arms. Bruce chuckled, grabbing his backpack and jogging to catch up to him. Bruce smiled as he reached Thor, slinging his backpack over his shoulders.

"Your family has quite the habit of repeating statements of entrance to me."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, weird joke about stuff you and your mom do." He smiled, patting Thor on the back and snorting at the confused expression on his face. They wandered the halls for about a minute before they saw the backs of the others.

The Avengers, as they called themselves, were the top of the school, the most popular kids around. There was Steve Rogers, student Vice President, football player and an actor in the schools drama club, rumor has it he’s an amazing artist, too. Tony Stark, supposed smartest kid in school. He wasn’t strong but his smarts and witty remarks always could get him out of the trouble he caused. Clint Barton was quiet, a kid with impeccable aim for trash cans and ladies hearts, Clint was one of the most attractive kids going to their high school at the time. Natasha Romanov was the only girl to hang out with the testosterone crew, she was also the most beautiful girl in school, according to Bruce that was. They all had nicknames according to Marvel comic books, Steve was Captain America, Tony was Iron Man, Clint was Hawkeye, Nat was Black Widow and Thor, was well, Thor.

Bruce moved closer to Thor almost unconsciously, being around new people always got him nervous. But, Thor was there so there was no way it could go bad... right?

”Thor, there you are... who’s the kid in the button-up?” Clint said, eyeing Bruce like he was an enemy spy.

”This is Bruce Banner, the smartest kid in the world!” Thor said, face shining. Bruce groaned and facepalmed.

”I’m not the smartest kid in the world, I barley get straight A’s, I think Tony would be the smartest.” He said, glancing over at Stark who had been fiddling with something in his hands before glancing up and smiling. He had quickly put his toy away and turned fully, extending his hand. Bruce shook it quickly before pulling away.

”Hey, I know you!” Tony said after a second. “You’re the limp guy!”

”What?” said Steve.

”He’s the guy I see running through the halls with the limp, I thought you looked familiar!”

Bruce sighed. “My most defining feature is my limp, I guess.” He hung his head secretly smiling to himself. Thor secretly glared at Tony before saying "no no no no no, your limp isn't at all noticeable!" Bruce looked up, softly chuckling at the older lad.

"It's okay, Thor, I don't actually care." He smiled.

"Well it's good to meet you, Bruce, I have a few classes with you, the teachers seem to love you." Nat said, smiling and popping her hip.

"I-it's good to meet you, too." He smiled shakily.

The kids had gone to the library, apparently that's where they met every day they stayed after school. Bruce had dragged Thor to the side where his favorite fantasy books that he decided that Thor could potentially read. He could feel the eyes of the others on him as he talked to Thor or, anyone. He felt like they didn't like him, that was until Cap told him that "you should hang out with us again, you kind of complete the whole Avengers theme, you're the doctor we've been missing." 

Bruce had frozen he had never expected him to say anything like that, he looked over at Thor who was smiling ear to ear.

"I don't know, I... I guess? Only if you guys really want me too."

"Of course we do! You should come sit with us at lunch!" Thor said, slapping Bruce on the back. He flinched, Thor apologized.

"Yeah, I'll uhm... I'll meet you tomorrow at lunch, then." He smiled, they cheered.

Bruce had finally felt like he would start fitting into the school, he had new friends, he wasn't just the awkward nerd that never talked to anyone.

That was until he saw Tony Stark yelling at his younger brother.

Bruce stopped dead in his tracks, Thor, who had been walking with him, had stopped as well. Peter seemed to have fought back, Bruce could tell, as he had tears in his eyes but he had failed. Tony was furious, Bruce began to back up, glancing at Thor who looked very concerned and ready to step in. Bruce was about to run, leave it to Thor and call it quits until...

_smack_

Bruces eyes went wide as Tony's hand connected with Peter's face, Bruce's heart began racing, if he had time to check his pulse it probably would have been over 200 BPM. He almost stopped himself, but he found that he couldn't control his limbs, all he could see was green, blood rushed to his ears. He took a step forward, then, he took another, and another, and in seconds he was in a full out sprint. He felt hahnd clench, he couldn't hear anything. He felt his hand raise and in seconds, he felt his fist connect to the face of Tony Stark.

Tony went flying, he was about to chase after him until he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his chest, he felt himself being picked up and carried, and before he knew it, he was outside, being placed in a car, he heard the door close, before he knew it, he was being carried into his house. Soft barking slowly filled his arms, he inhaled and shot up, looking around. He was on his couch, his head had apparently been on Thor's lap as he looked startled.

"What did I do, did I, did I hit someone?" Bruce stuttered out, looking wide eyed at his friend.

"You did but he deserved it, I'm going to talk to him tomorrow, don't worry about it."

Bruce gulped and put his head in his hands, shakily talking a breath.

"You know for a fact that I'm going to worry about it." He said, looking up at Thor and frowning.

"Well,  _try_ not to worry, alright, I'll be back with something to help." He said, patting Bruce on the back. It wasn't until a couple of seconds later that he noticed the dog sitting next to him, that he let out a soft sigh. He brought the bulldog onto his lap, and rested his forehead onto the dogs.

"Hulk, what am I going to do? I think I punched Tony freaking Stark in the face." He muttered. Hulk licked his nose softly. Bruce chuckled and pet his dog, grinning.

"Your aunt said you had ice cream in the freezer, so I got you a big bowl and your favorite blanket, I also got some pillows and your favorite movie, we're going to have a night in and relax, take our minds off of this entire predicament." Thor said, throwing his arm around Bruce's shoulder, the blanket as well. Bruce snuggled close, Hulk laying down on the two's lap. Bruce drifted off to sleep like that, curled up in a ball with his dog, and his closest friend.

Peter pulled into the garage on the moped, Bruce had taught him how to ride after this had happened the first time. He had made sure Tony had been alright, as he slipped in, Thor got up, supporting Bruces weight, and Peter sat down, replacing him.

Thor had gone straight to Tony's house, Stark had opened the door.

Thor slapped him right in the spot Bruce had punched him.

"Never touch Parker again or next time, I won't just slap you." He growled, staring down the shorter male.

"Ow, dude what the hell!" Tony yelled. 

“Peter Parker and Bruce Banner are like my family and if you touch either of them then you will regret everything you have ever done. The reason Bruce punched you is because you touched his family, Bruce was adopted.”

Tony stopped and stared, his mouth slightly agape.

”You know why he was orphaned? Because his father killed his mother right in front of him, Bruce has to go to therapy, he has an emotional support dog and he freaks out whenever anything or anyone, hurts his family.”

Thor turned, and marched back to his car, calling out to Tony, “he will apologize tomorrow, accept it and move on.”

Thor was going to make sure Bruce was happy, even if he destroyed his friendships.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like the fic, please leave a kudos or a comment! I'd really appreciate it!!


	3. Avengers, Assemble!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony apologizes and Bruce cries.

Bruce woke up in his bed, tucked in with a furry boy laying on his lap. Hulk moved when Bruce tried to get up, walking up and gently licking his face. Bruce knew he would need to bring the big boy to school that day. After all, he was prone to panic attacks after he freaked out like that. Bruce walked over to his dresser and pulled out the harness. Hulk straightened as soon as he saw it, hopping off the bed and waddling over to his owner.

"Sit." Bruce said, holding two fingers out and staring down at the brown and white puppy. Hulk sat, waiting for his next command.

"Stand." He said, extending his other fingers so that all but his thumb where extended. Hulk stood, raising his head so that the harness would slip easily over his head. Bruce grabbed his emergency pack, a drawstring bag filled with dog food, a bowl, a water bottle, and treats. Hulk was done with his training but he got restless sometimes so he always brought a few. He grabbed the leash,  Hulk's eyes light up, and Bruce chuckled. He changed into clothes and put the leash on his dog.

"Aunt May, can you call the principle? I'm bringing Hulk to school today." Bruce said, putting out the dog food bowl and filling it up for Hulk's breakfast.

"Alright, but when you get home you're telling me why you brought him to school." She said, peering at Bruce.

Bruce gulped, and nodded, Aunt May loved him, but she could be a little scary. Ben stood, grabbing the moped basket that had been custom made with Hulk in mind. Bruce quickly stood up, taking it from his uncle. "I'll put it on this time." He pulled out their screwdriver, and the screws he used for the moped and went to the garage, attaching the box to the front of it, unzipping the roof of it and walking back inside. He grabbed a slice of toast, grabbed Hulk's bowl, and putting the emergency kit into his backpack.

"Let's go Peter, we have school." He said, grabbing Peter's backpack and handing it to his brother. "Come on big guy, let's go." He called, grabbing Hulks leash. The dog stood, walking to the left and close to the boy. Good to see he hadn't forgotten his training. Bruce and Peter picked him up together, laying him down in the basket and zipping the mesh top. Bruce could basically feel the happiness of the dog as his scooter started up. "Love you Aunt May, Uncle Ben!" Bruce yelled as the garage opened. Bruce buckled his helmet, making sure Peter had his own on, too. When he was satisfied with the proper level of safety, they took off. At any chance, Bruce could hear the Hulk barking and howling at the passing noises of the cars. Peter held on tighter as the school came into view. He parked before letting his kid brother off the moped, as he needed help getting the dog out of his basket. They hauled the fuzzy friend to the ground, on Bruce's left, and began walking towards the school.

Bruce gulped as he saw the principal standing in front of the school. "It's good to see the incredible Hulk again, you're fine to bring him in." He said, opening the door. Apparently, Tony hadn't told the principal what happened yet. Bruce sighed in relief but it was only a matter of time.

"Have a good day at school, Pete. Stay as far as possible from Stark."

"I will, enjoy yourself and your time with Hulk, okay?" Peter said, hugging his older brother.

"I will." Bruce said, watching as the spider man backpack disappeared into the crowd of the hall. Bruce sighed and began walking. He heard a few cries of "Puppy!" and "Is that a dog?" But no one approached him, thankfully.

He made it to his first period easily, he set up in the room, getting Hulk as close to under the desk as he could possibly get the mound of fur and fat. His teacher talked to him about it for a while, Bruce awkwardly answered as many questions as he could before the bell rang and soon, kids flooded the room. No one noticed the heavy breathing service dog in the room.

Or so he thought.

After the class finished, the period was math, one of his favorites, kids swarmed him, asking to pet Hulk, what his name was, all the standard questions. He managed to escape easily, inching his way through the small crowd and keeping Hulk away from the kids. His next period was art, this was the only class he shared with Steve Rogers, and he held his breath as he walked in. As he had been held up by kids asking to pet his life line, the seats quickly filled up, leaving the only open one a seat next to the panic inducer.  Steve smiled at him and almost immediately switched with the kid sitting next to him. Now he had Steve sitting right by him, and by the look on his face, he wanted to talk. Bruce felt his heart rate pick up, and then he saw Hulk's ears prick up, the dog turned around and tried climbing into Bruce's lap, with a little help from Bruce himself, he suddenly had a very warm and a very weighted blanket.

"You have a dog?" Steve said, looking down at Hulk.

"Yeah, a service dog. Sometimes I get so stressed that my heart gets to a point where I almost have an out of body experience, like... like what happened with Tony yesterday." He mumbled. "He acts like a weighted blanket, and petting dogs is proven to reduce stress. He can basically hear my heartbeat, he's really in tune with me." Bruce said, stroking Hulk's head.

"That's really cool! And, about the conflict with Tony..."

Bruce gulped.

"Good job! No one has ever even  _tried_ to touch him before, you really put him in his place!" Steve chuckled at the shocked look Bruce gave him. "Even if he's my friend, he has no excuse to hurt anyone without consequences. I'm glad you did what you did, and we'd still like you to join us for lunch."

Just then the bell rang, and the two looked towards the teacher who had started talking. Within 30 minutes, Hulk had jumped off of his lap and had started licking at his ankle. Bruce relaxed, and had to leave before the bell to get in front of the crowd. He quietly thanked Steve before he left, but Bruce wasn't sure he had heard. He sighed, reaching down and scratching Hulk on the head. What would he do without this dog.

 

Lunch rolled around rather quickly, he hadn't had anymore crowds or 'Avengers' to talk to, he pulled out his lunch from his locker, and grabbed his emergency bag. Quickly, Bruce walked to the cafeteria, looking around and waiting to find the table where the Avengers sat. He walked around for a little bit, every time they passed a table with food on it, Hulk raised his head a little bit sniffling at the scent, but he kept walking.  _Good boy,_ thought Bruce before he walked right into the back of a muscled teen. He looked up shakily, holding his breath until he saw the long blond hair of Thor. Bruce smiled ad stuck his head in-between Thor's shoulders. Thor huffed in surprise at the sudden pressure and looked back and down, he smiled at the sight of Bruce and turned around fully, looking him over quickly. "You brought Hulk with you, are you alright?" Thor's face had melted into a worried expression as soon as he saw the big dog in his whole service dog outfit. Bruce sighed, shrugging.

"I guess? I just felt... bad, this morning, I guess." He shrugged again, smiling sadly. "But... Steve said I could still sit with you guys at lunch today. So I uhm... I decided that I would!" His shoulders raised to his chin, and his soft smiled turned into a fuller one and he softly chuckled. His shoulders fell and he sighed softly. He looked up at Thor who's smile had grown ever wider. Bruce heard Thor chuckle, then he felt his arm wrap around his shoulders.

"Then, come on! They'll be waiting for you, friend! And, they'll be waiting for you, friend Hulk!" Hulks stubby tail waggled as Thor said his name, and the made their way through the crowd, Hulk staying as close to Bruce as he possibly could without being squished between tables. Bruce kept a strong hold and Thor's arm, trying his best to not get lost. Soon, they were almost in the center of the cafeteria. Bruce shuttered as he saw the ever approaching back of Stark.

"Hail and well met, friends!" Thor yelled, making everyone turn and look, most of them smiled as they saw Bruce, Tony grimaced.

"Hey, Thor. Glad to see you brought button-up with you. I wanted to congratulate you, kid. You're the first person at this school to ever punch him. A big accomplishment!?" Clint said, smirking at Tony who rubbed the cheek where Bruce had punched him.

"How's your hand? Punching people can hurt." Natasha said, standing up and walking towards Bruce.

"It's fine, I didn't punch him as hard as I usually do, I've broken a finger punching someone before." He joked.

They all gaped, unsure how Bruce Banner, a nerdy and scrawny teen, had broken a finger punching someone.

"Impressive, Banner. It takes a lot of force to break a finger, which one was it?" Steve asked as Bruce and Thor moved to sit down.

"My middle finger, I squeezed my fist too hard and when my thumb moved back, it popped it out of place." He said, holding up his hand with the crooked middle finger. Clint had flinched at the explanation of how he broke it. Natasha's eyes raised even more, and Steve smiled.

"I see that you learned, glad you didn't break a finger on this guy, it wouldn't have been worth it."

Tony elbowed Steve, making a disgruntled noise as he did so.

"Wish you broke his jaw, then he wouldn't be able to talk so much, but I think you damaged his pride so much he's not even trying to defend himself." Clint laughed, dusting off the glare that came from Tony. Natasha reached across the table, grabbing and patting Bruce's hand. He smiled, scooting into Thor ever so slightly.

"Banner." Bruce's eyes shot over to Tony, who had looked right at him, dead in the eye.

"Tony."

"I... pshhhh..." He glanced over at Cap, who raised his eyebrows. "I wanted to apologize, so... sorry."

The way Tony said sorry sent him reeling, suddenly, he saw flashes of his father, his mom and himself as a child. How his father always made him apologize for what he did, how his mom would hug him, tell him that she was so sorry... his mom's face as she lay, dying.

"You alright, Bruce? You look scared almost. Didn't expect me to apologize that much that I actually scared you?"

"I have to go." Bruce stood up and almost ran out of the room, Hulk following close by. Thor stood up, lurching forward, as if about to follow when.

"I got it." Clint said, waving to Thor as he jogged off quietly. Thor moved back, as the shock of the situation set in. He paused, looking around before he sat down again awkwardly.

"Well... want to explain why he ran off as soon as I apologized?" Tony said, looking over at Thor.

"I think we'll find out soon..."

 

Bruce raced through the halls, breath in his throat hitching as he finally made it far enough. He collapsed, scooting over to wall, shaking as sobs wracked his body. Hulk snuggled close, licking at Bruce's face as he broke down. He felt the tears soaking his shirt, and hands, he felt his face redden, then he felt a hand on his shoulder, then someone sitting next to him, and pulling him into their chest. Bruce stopped, glancing up at the person holding him.

Clint sat, staring straight ahead. Bruce shivered, not being able to stop for long. Clint just sat, waiting for his attack to slow, Hulk clambered onto Clint's lap to get at Bruce's face. The bell rang, and still, Clint didn't move. Bruce didn't understand, he thought that Clint was a jerk, a frustrating kid that didn't care about anyone.

"I get them, too." He said, as Bruce sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He made a soft confused noise as he looked over at Clint.

"I get attacks like that, they're the worst thing ever." He said, smiling. "But, seriously, are you okay? You really worried Thor when you ran off like that."

"I... uhm... the way Tony said sorry just, brought back a lot of awful memories. I have uhm... it's a little embarrassing but... I have ptsd." Bruce looked down at his feet.

"That's not at all embarrassing, Bruce, you shouldn't have to feel bad to tell me something like that." Clint smiled and Bruce's eyes widened. He rubbed at them again, patting Hulk on the head before shakily getting to his feet.

"I think uhm... I think I'm okay now." He smiled, blinking.

"Alright, here, give me your phone real quick." Clint said, holding out his hand. Bruce handed it over, typing his passcode in first. Clint typed something in, then he stood up and walked off.

"Call me if anything happens!" He waved, walking off again.

Bruce looked down, and saw that Clint had put in his phone number.

"I will!" He smiled, even though he knew Clint wouldn't see it and made off to his next class.


	4. The taste of sour memories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce reads a poem and thinks about blood.

As Bruce finally got home, the front door seemed to grow farther with every step he took. He hadn't eaten lunch and his body was slowly shutting down. He finally reached that tall thing, reaching up for the handle and grasping it. It took a minute to wriggle it open, his tiny hands not wanting to work with him, he didn't hear his dog bark, hopefully it got out, maybe it was with Thor. He hoped it was, he'd go check after he told his parents he was home.

As soon as he walked in the door, he smelled it. It smelled awful, he recoiled at the stench of it. His young mind didn't know then but he knew now. Bruce tried to turn on the lights, nothing happened. He flicked them on and off, on and off, but still, nothing. Bruce sighed, his father had probably cut into the wall again. His mom would need to call someone in again, maybe Odin would help them, he thought. He looked up the stairs, the smell seemed to grow stronger in that direction. He grabbed an apple, biting into it, feeling the chunk fall down his throat. Bruce began his trek up the stairs, on all fours like a dog at the bottom and as he reached the top, he stood up. The smell was horrifying enough, maybe his father was trying a new type of alcohol, maybe it was some sort of new body spray. Bruce wished that it was.

"Bruce, my baby..." He heard the soft whisper and turned to look at the corner. His mom lay, holding her stomach, crying. He didn't see the blood at first, until she lifted her hand and reached for him.

"Mommy..?" His soft voice said as he inched toward her. He had seen her bleed after fighting with father but never this much. The hole in her stomach kept pumping out blood, Bruce put his hand on it and felt it gushing.

"Mommy what happened? Did father hurt you?" He whispered.

"He did, my precious, you need to run, run far away. He told me that he'd kill you my baby, I love you so much but you must run." Bruce was taken aback as his mom caressed his face.

"But he said he'd always find me, mommy? Where do I go?" He was shaking, his moms eyes were going dark.

"I love you, my sweet one, I'm sorry..." He watched as the rise and fall of her chest slowed, slowed.... then stopped. He shook her, opening her eyes, putting his hands on the cut but, the bleeding had stopped.

"Mommy? Mommy wake up, we need to go." He whispered in her ear. Sweet little Bruce had no idea that his mother would never wake up again, she was gone, and he was all alone.

"She will not wake up, idiot child." Bruce felt all the hairs on his neck raise, he froze, eyes wide and turned toward the sound.

His father stood, staring at the boy who still clung to his mothers shirt.

"She cannot protect you anymore." His face turned into a wicked grin, Bruce could smell the alcohol from where he sat. His eyes were bloodshot, hair disheveled. Bruce made a move to get up and he yelled. "STAY THERE!" His words were slurred, the anger bubbling close to the surface. Bruce saw the gun, it was easy to spot, just in his hand. It was a pistol, the house hold one his mom had hidden just in case. Bruce ran, he started running down the stairs, his father screaming at him.

Then he heard the gun fire, then he felt the pain in his leg. Bruce tumbled, falling down the rest of the stairs and he lay still, clutching his leg and sobbing, screaming, it hurt so much, the blood was rushing, just like mommy, he screamed for help, someone to make it stop.

No one heard, no one would ever hear him scream as loud as he did then. He heard his father laugh as Bruce's cries quieted. Then, Bruce heard the gun shoot one last time. He tried to sit up, but he couldn't, his father had just shot himself, leaving Bruce laying on the floor with a concussion and a severe leg wound. Bruce cried until he couldn't, his voice choking up as he asked for someone to help.

No one ever came. Bruce felt the world go dark.

 

Bruce woke up in the middle of English, eyes wide, he panted softly.

"Nightmare?" He heard someone whisper. He turned around and saw someone he didn't really know, they had brown hair that fell to around his chin, a scruffy goatee on his chin. He had seen him hanging around Cap before he left the football team but, as he never attended the games, he had never learned his name. 

"Yeah, yeah it was just a nightmare." He smiled, and turned back around.

 "It's Bruce, right?" The other whispered.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"You where sitting with the Avengers yesterday, and Thor talks about you non-stop."

Bruce groaned, hanging his head.

"Why am I not surprised."

"James, Bruce, please focus on your poem, this isn't talk time." Their teacher called. Bruce looked down at his paper, and began to fake read.

"So it's James?" He murmured.

"Call me Bucky."

The day passed on, Bruce had taken the poem with him, giving the excuse that he wanted to study it further, find every meaning he could. The teacher loved him, so he wasn't surprised when he was allowed to take it home.

"So, how long have you known Thor? He acts like he's known you since birth." Bucky asked, turns out they also had math together, and they were moving seats that day, maybe Bucky would want to sit by him.

"Well, he kind of has? I don't know how long we've physically known him but he's in some of my earliest memories." He said, thinking back to the wheelbarrow race, Thor stood on his hands, Bruce holding his legs. They where the best wheelbarrowers in their neighborhood. Now it would be the opposite, Thor was too tall for Bruce to hold his legs.

"That's really cool! Did you guys grow up here or did you move?"

"We moved together when I got adopted, his dad found a new job here just because Thor liked me so much. Oh, hey Loki! What's up?" Bruce said, waving at Loki as he passed. Loki smiled and they did their little secret "Thor's a massive jerk sometimes." handshake. Loki winked, Bruce laughed and pat his shoulder.

"Okay, what the hell? I've never seen Loki smile, ever. I share most of my classes with that guy!" Bucky said, staring at Bruce in awe. Bruce laughed again and said "family secret."

Math was slow, the good kids, like Bruce and Bucky, got to choose their seats. Bruce chose the middle row of seats in the center of the room. He had vision problems so he wanted to see but he also had walking problems so he wanted to walk as little as possible. Bucky sat next to him, Bruce felt amazing. Normally, the only people to ever sit next to him where the people who were awful at math, Bucky was pretty good but Bruce had an inkling feeling that Bucky had other reasons to sit next to him. Bruce finished his lesson and the homework early and pulled out the poem, or quote apparently. It was by Lynn G. Robbins, and it said:

" _Somewhere in the history of the English language the expression "Fall in love" began to be used to describe the sublime experience of finding someone to love. While it is a beautiful idiom, there was inherent risk involved in selecting the verb fall because it mostly means accidental, involuntary, with no choice involved. Too many believe that love is a condition, a feeling that involves 100 percent of the heart, something that happens to you. They disassociate love from agency, in commanding us to love._ " 

Bruce studied it, looking deep into the words. They reminded him of his mom, she had fallen in love with her captor, not realizing until she was pregnant how awful he really was, it was like him. A believer that love was the worst thing, that if he got attached, they would disappear. He rubbed his face, looking down at it once again.

A paper slid into his view. 'you alright?'

'I'm fine, thanks for asking. The poem is just bringing back bad memories.'

'tell me about it, all that guys poems are memory rouders, they grab the worst stuff from your head and project it onto a page.'

'you spelt that wrong.'

'I don't care, u aint my anglish techer.'

Bruce chuckled, looking at Bucky, who was smirking. He took the paper back, and scribbled something down.

'can you help me? I hate math.'

'sure'

Bruce didn't have time to mope while helping Bucky, the guy was alright at math, he just didn't understand some key points. As they walked out of the math room and headed towards lunch, Bucky chuckled.

"I guess I'm not the only traumatized kid in this hell hole, can I get your number? You're a real cool dude." He added.

Bruce grabbed his phone, bringing up the add contact button and typed in his information. Bucky told him to smile as he took a profile picture. He smiled, and before Bucky walked away, Bruce got a text.

"Hello! :)"

Bruce smiled.

"We should make a group chat for traumatized kids, we'll just adopt them." Bruce sent, laughing quietly to himself.

"DLDFJSKDJFJDLS YES" Bucky sent, and a minute later, he was added to a group chat titled "trauma squad"

"Why hello there Clint and Nat, a pleasure to add yout o our trauma squad"

"*to" Bruce sent.

"I am confused but I'm here for this" He recognized the contact as Clint, Hawkeye in his contacts.

"you're here for everything" An unknown number that Bruce assumed was Natasha said.

"Ouch, the tea is scorching" Bruce laughed at the message that popped up.

"Anyways, ignore Clint, he sucks, I didn't know you suffered from trauma Bruce?" Nat sent.

"Yeah, my dad killed my mom and shot me in the leg. Please don't tell the others yet I trust you guys more then them." Bruce said.

"Dude? That's 100% messed up?? Are you okay????" Clint sent.

"I'm fine, I was like 5 when it happened, that's why I was adopted by the Parkers."

"You? Adopted? You punched Tiny Stank in the face for an adopted sibling, Bruce you are the biggest mood I have ever had the privilage to know"

"*Privilege" Bruce replied.

"If you keep that up, Cap will be forced to kill you, spelling nazi"

"Okay, Nat that's mean, I was just informing him how he should spell the word privilege." He smiled at his phone.

"Got to go, class is about to start." Bruce quickly put in Natasha's phone number, giving her the nickname of Black Widow. He turned off his phone and slipped it into his pocket. He looked up at the screen as the teacher began, not bothering to notice the fact that Clint Barton was sitting right behind him trying to get his attention. Bruce felt something hit the back of his head and he turned around, looking dead in the eye at good old Hawkeye. He made a confused face, Clint signed "Trying to get your attention, can you sign"

Bruce replied with a simple "yes"

Clint pumped his fist, and Bruce turned around. A minute later, he felt another tiny paper hit his head.

"I'm asking because I'm actually deaf, sign language is also a good secret communication"

"You're deaf"

"Yes"

Bruce made a face, giving a thumbs up and turning around once more. He waited for another hit but it didn't come for a very long time. It was when the teacher announced a group project, he felt the tap and turned around.

"You and me"

"Yes"

Bruce looked at the board and back.

"Three people group"

"Damn it."

Bruce made a shocked face and Clint laughed.

"Hey Bruce, do you want to partner up?" Eddie Brock, school stoner and local pansexual stood before him.

"Yeah sure, Clint's with me, too."

"Cool, cool. So what are we going to do?"

Clint had moved up to sit by Bruce, Eddie pulling a chair up in front of the table with his markers, papers, and about all of his art supplies. Throughout the class, Bruce had to remind himself to look directly at Clint when he was talking so Clint would be able to read his lips easier. He had an old friend in his old town who was deaf, so he was familiar with things you can do for deaf people. At the end of the class, Venom, Eddies current boyfriend, walked into the room and lay his head on Eddies hair.

"Hey, Ven." Eddie said.

"What's up, Venom." Clint said, Bruce waved.

"Eddie come with me to the bathroom." Venom pulled on Eddies arm.

"Alright, alright." Eddie grabbed his things and waved to the two.

"That guy is so weird" Clint signed.

"Yes, probably doing something naughty"

Clint snorted, and smiled, gathering his things and standing.

"See you later" Clint signed, walking out the door. Bruce gathered his belongings, walking out a minute after Clint had left, he checked his phone, trauma squad had lit up.

"I am v happy, everyone on this chat knows sign language!!!!!" Clint had sent, Bruce smiled as Natasha replied.

"I'm not surprised Bruce knows sign language."

"Peter taught it too me, said that it would be our secret way of communicating, he forgot it a week later." Bruce said, Clint had a little fit on the electronic keyboard, then said "that? Is very accuracte tbh"

"*accurate." Bruce replied.

 

As he walked towards the lunch room, the sounds of kids running slowly grew. Bruce had stopped to grab his lunch, stuffing Hulk's emergency bag into his own. He had left it at school on accident and needed to take it home. Clint had been waiting for him at the entrance to the cafeteria, waving as Bruce approached.

"What's up, Dr. Green?" Clint said, smirking.

"I'm wearing purple, are you deaf  _and_ colorblind?" Bruce said, elbowing Clint as he walked into the room. He was hit with the overwhelming sounds of kids, he closed his eyes for a second, breathing. Clint strode ahead of Bruce, pausing every few seconds for him to catch up, Bruce was thankful, as Clint led him through the quietest area. Bruce had confided in Clint that he could get overwhelmed very easily, and Clint remembered, Bruce smiled as he caught the sight of the muscled back of Thor, inching his way forward, Bruce blew into Thor's ear, which caused him to yell in the middle of the cafeteria. All of the Avengers laughed.

"That was very rude, Banner!" Thor said as Bruce sat down next to him.

"Rude, but hilarious."

"It was not!"

"It totally was." Bruce said, smirking in Thor's direction.

Clint waved, grabbing Bruce's attention.

"Thunder is cat" He signed, Bruce looked confused before he put it together.

"Clint, no" Bruce was trying his best not to laugh, Natasha stared at Clint with a disappointed face, but the corners of her lips raised into a slight grin.

"What did he say, Nat?" Steve said, looking over at Natasha. That's when Bruce couldn't stop himself, he kept signing "Thunder is cat" to Clint who joined in on the laughing. Natasha soon joined, the three almost cry laughing.

"He called Thor a pussy." Natasha said, shocking the other three on the table before they all where laughing.

"I have no idea why that was as funny as it was!" Bruce said, trying to steady his breathing. Clint was still chortling, Bruce swore it sounded like the hiccups just a little bit. His lunch was relaxing, he talked to Tony about computers and robots, Steve was interested in how he got Tony to fly down a hall, Clint and Natasha just talked to him normally. Thor sat quietly, listening to everything Bruce was saying. He was relaxed, like he was in his element. Bruce had never actually managed to be this alright with socializing. He sighed, sinking into his chair, eating his last bite of turkey sandwich. He was alright, it was alright.

The bell rang and that jostled him out of his good sleepy mood, he guessed he had started to fall asleep on Thor, he grabbed his things and said goodbye, walking quickly out the doors with the crowd. His good mood was shattered as soon as the bell rang, he walked quickly to his next class, thinking about his bed and as soon as he got home, how he was going to take a nice, long, nap.

 

As the final bell rang, he heard a familiar voice call out for him. He turned and saw Bucky running in his direction. "Hey, Bruce, Steve told me that you have a motorcycle licence. Is that true?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I have a moped, one of the only types of transportation I trust." He smiled.

"Wouldn't you need a parent? Is it like a driving permit?"

"Not at all, I have an actual licence, not a permit."

"Do you think I could get one?" Bucky's eyes lit up, and Bruce smiled.

"If you take the training, then yeah."

"YES!" Bucky yelled, and Bruce laughed. Bruce felt a tug at his shirt and found Peter waiting for him.

"I got to go, I'll see you around, Bucky!"

 

As Bruce and Peter took off down the road, the whirring of the engine of his scooter rising and falling in volume. Bruce breathed a sigh, his day had been full of good things, the sun shone in his eyes, he didn't flinch. The grinding of the brakes soon fell silent as the boys parked in the garage, the barking of Hulk could be heard throughout the house. As the door slowly creaked open, Bruce's steps faltered, he walked up to his room and shut the door. Soon he was drifting off into a world of sleep, one where he could fly, love, be a normal kid. Then his nightmare monster appeared. He was a giant green monster with black hair, his electric green eyes and yellow teeth scared Bruce non-stop. He yelled, Bruce couldn't hear him. He woke up to find that it was now six in the afternoon, he sat up, rubbing his eyes, trying to remember what he had just dreamed about.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! More coming soon, tell me what you liked! Tell me what I did wrong!


	5. Gym Cl-ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce has gym, he hates gym, he'd rather be doing biology or something.

Silence. The bright lights of the room shown down, making Bruce sweat. He stood, waiting. He felt the bodies around him shift. He blinked, slowly, holding his breath.

 

_It's the final countdown~_

The kids around him sprang into action, pushing him along with him. He was shoved around for a bit until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Thor said, pushing him until they were out of the crowd. He smiled, and Bruce sighed.

"No. I hate gym. I despise it, if we could stop gym I would totally vote to see it destroyed."

"Okay, violent."

Bruce laughed, elbowing Thor in the shoulder. Well, in the elbow, he couldn't reach his shoulder with his own elbow. A couple seconds into the mile run and he already hated it. Bruce, if you couldn't tell, isn't very physically capable. He's as sharp as a whip, according to Thor he was the smartest person in the school, but when it came to gym, he sucked ass. Thor had taken to running with him, choosing different partners so they could talk as Bruce tried, and Thor succeed.

"Hey, hey, Bruce."

"What?"

Thor grabbed his hand, snapping his fingers into a strong grip and yelled:

"We're faster together!"

Bruce stumbled behind him, racing to keep up with Thor's long strides. He did that almost every mile run, most of the time he would almost pop Bruce's shoulder out of place and he'd be sore for weeks. This time Bruce was determined to keep up with him. Running hand in hand, Bruce didn't have time to think as his legs worked, all he could focus on was his breathing and trying not to die. About 5 minutes later, thanks to Thor dragging him, he completed the mile and all but collapsed onto the gym bench. He pulled the inhaler from his pocket and puffed, a second later he coughed once more.

"I hate when you made me promise to do stuff like that. You just wind up hurting yourself." Thor said, plopping down next to Bruce. He pat Bruce's back, hugging him close. Bruce coughed some more before his asthma calmed down. He sighed, and muttered something.

"Excuse?"

"If I don't, then I'd never be able to pass gym, also, it's not as bad as it used to be." He said, louder. Thor sighed, patting his arm.

"I just, you hurt yourself to get good grades a lot and I don't think that's very healthy."

"Oh, it's definitely not. I just get scared to ever get anything other than an A." He said casually. Thor made a concerned face, squeezing Bruce closer to his side. Thor always got worried when it came to Bruce and his grades, as his father had always had the most strict expectations for his young child, if he didn't meet those crazy expectations well... it wasn't pretty...

* * *

Darkness. He couldn't see, he couldn't smell. He wedged his eyes open, they were stuck with tears and snot. He inhaled deeply, unclogging his nose.

Copper, red, that's all he could see, all he could smell. He hurt, he was tired, and cold. He was dying.

A young Bruce lay in the snow, bleeding out, he had, at some point, managed to crawl his way outside. His face, his chest, and shoulder, not to mention his leg, which had been shot.

He panted, trying to cry out but finding himself unable too. He gagged, inhaling as much air as he could. The snow was turning a deep shade of crimson, he couldn't breath. He couldn't feel. He was dying.

"Bruce?"

Thor stood, staring at the limp form of his best friend. It smelled, it stunk so much of metal that he had to cover his nose with his shirt. He shook, staring as the head of his friend shake and turn over, staring at him with dark, blank eyes. It was close to midnight, he had been over at his friends house. He was lucky he had stayed as late as he did.

Bruce didn't talk, he only breathed in heavily, wheezing. Thor hurried, picking him up and running to his house, he slammed the door open and began yelling for his mom, his dad, Loki, anyone to help him. His dad came running out, looking around.

"Thor, do you know what time it i-"

Odin stopped short as he stared at the scene before him. Thor bloody, clutching a barely breathing Bruce. He ran out, grabbing shoes and his car keys and grabbing the two boys. He buckled the two into the front seat and slammed on it. They reached the hospital quickly, and got into the ER even quicker. Bruce was pretty bad off, he needed a big blood transfusion, the cuts had to be stitched up, and his leg that had been supposedly shot was sitting up in the air, he would go into surgery later. He woke for small periods of time, looking around. Once he spotted Thor, he reached out his hand, whispering something in his ear.

"Mommy's gone. She's cold."

Thor didn't know what that meant, Odin did.

An hour later, a police report came in. Two adults found dead, son shot.

Bruce woke after the surgery, unable to move. He unwedged his eyes, looking around at the white walls.

He was questioned by police and friends alike, turns out he had been sleeping on and off for like 3 weeks. He was so tired, and yet he knew he couldn't rest. Thor walked in with flowers, they smelled good. They didn't smell like the smell of a hospital, clean, like mom's cleaner. He missed mom. He wished she would visit. Hopefully she would have warmed up by now. He didn't wish father would come. He was dehydrated. He was hungry. He wanted his friends. He smelled the flowers, the nurses made sure they wouldn't faint. They made sure he didn't faint, either. He missed mommy, he wanted to see her. Whenever he asked to see her, the doctors would apologize. He didn't know why. He wanted to see her.

He found out that he wouldn't see her again a few weeks after he was shot. He was quiet. He didn't cry. He was broken. The only good thing was that father was gone, too.

He spent a couple months like that, sitting, waiting, never to see his parents again.

* * *

 

 Thor stood outside the bathroom, listening to the sounds of puking. Bruce had run off a few minutes after he finished the mile and was currently throwing up in the restroom. Thor guessed he knew why Bruce was throwing up, it was evident to him, not to anyone else, though. The toilet flushed and a few seconds later, Bruce emerged from the bathroom, pale and tired.

"You're-"

"Gross, I know." Bruce cut him off, waving his hand trying to dismiss Thor.

"No, you're either sick or stressed. Which one is it."

"What?"

"Sick or stressed, which one. Either way you're going home, young man." Thor folded his arms, staring intently at Bruce.

"I uh... I guess I'm stressed. All this stuff that's been happening lately." He shrugged, looking down at the floor.

"Alright, let's go talk to coach."

Walking down the halls was quiet. Bruce didn't want to talk and Thor respected that. All he needed to do was tell the teacher that Bruce threw up and he could go home. Thor wished he could wait for May with Bruce but decided that Coach would probably shoot his idea down.

"Hey, Thor? Can you uhm... can you wait with me? I just, I... you don't have to but I'd like you there."

Never mind, he was going to make coach let him stay with Bruce. The gym doors swung open, Steve gave a questioning glance towards Thor, he shrugged, mouthing "I'll tell you later."

Coach was waiting for them. She was a very intense person but if you tried your hardest in her class, she liked you. She was tall, a little shorter than Thor but, he didn't mind. She was strong, too. She could probably bench two of him if she tried. Her short brown hair fell into waves, poking out from under her cap. She wore the gym shirt and a pair of sweats. He glanced up as they approached.

"Thor, Bruce. What's up?"

"Bruce threw up, he needs to head home. Can I wait with him in the lobby?"

"Why do you need to wait with him, he's a capable kid."

"Yes, but he's been super stressed lately, and he asked me to stay with him."

Coach paused, thinking, before she agreed. Her only rule was that he needed to come right back after Bruce's parent got here. Thor nodded and they shuffled out of the room. Bruce needed to stop in the locker room to grab his things, shoveling his clothes into his backpack and walking out of the room. Thor followed close behind, holding his hand out just in case Bruce wanted to take it. He did. They walked to the front office, calling May and apologizing.

"Yeah, Thor's with me... I will, we'll just be in the cafeteria... Love you, I will, bye." Bruce hung up the phone, sighing before he turned around and smiled. "May says hi."

They walked to the cafeteria, the wide hallway leading gave them some space to breath. They plopped down on the benches, sitting next to each other. Just like in elementary. Thor squeezed Bruce to his side, he felt Bruce's tense muscles relax into his usual arm mass. He realized that he knew hardly anything about how muscles worked because that thought he just had made absolute no sense.

"I wish I could go home. I could take my pants off."

Bruce laughed, Thor loved it when Bruce laughed. He felt his phone buzz, his mom texted him.

"Do you want to go home, too? I heard Bruce is stress sick."

"Yeah, he threw up."

A few minutes later, he got a response:

"I checked you out."

He jeered in victory, telling Bruce to hold on as he ran back to the locker room. Grabbing all his stuff and not even bothering to put it into his backpack, he ran back and saw Bruce walking out the doors.

"My mom checked me out, I can come with you!" He said, reaching Bruce's side.

"Sweet! Cool, I think Hulk'll be happy to see you."

"I hope he is! I'm happy to see him, and I haven't even seen him yet!"

Bruce chuckled as they walked into the cold air. The shorts they were wearing didn't help with the whole cold situation but, they still walked slowly. They both got into the backseat, May didn't question why Thor got in, his mom probably told her. Now, he had a whole day to spend with Bruce, his only goal to help him relax! 


End file.
